Saturday, October 10, 2015

INTRODUCTION TO ADVANCED LEVEL GEOLOGY (PART 3)



The Role of Geologists
Ø  Geologists play a leading role in the utilization and management of natural resources, evaluating how natural processes impact all life on Earth, and how humans interact with the Earth.
Ø  Geologists search the continents and sea floors for the minerals and fuels essential to modern society and look for fresh water used daily by the world's peoples. 
Ø  They work with engineers discovering pollution of the soil and groundwater, in developing plans for pollution control or remediation, in siting and developing waste disposal sites, in road and dam construction, and in evaluations of risk and planning designed to minimize the loss of life due to floods, volcanic eruptions, or earthquakes.
Ø  Other geologists concern themselves with the history of the planet, unraveling the movements of continents, the distribution of climate-controlled rocks, and the evolution of species and ecosystems.


The skills of  Geologists
Geology requires problem solving, good 3D visualization and the ability to collect and
process data accurately. Geologists are like detectives and must be able to collect fragments of information and develop interpretations based on those data. They must be able to separate important and trivial data and be able to adjust their interpretations as new data are collected. Developing models, either in their mind or on their computer, is essential. Once geologists have completed their work, they must be able to effectively communicate their results to others. Strong verbal and written communication skills are essential in geology. Most geologists work on practical problems that involve people. Those individuals, whether an individual landowner, an elected official, or the CEO of a company, want answers communicated in a way they can understand.


Areas of knowledge application
Geologists work on every continent from the tropics to the poles and on and under the surface of the oceans. They work on foot or from ropes in high mountains, in submersibles and on ships, in mobile laboratories in trucks or aircraft, and in offices and labs in universities, research parks, urban offices, and high-rise offices buildings. In these various settings, geologists use a wide range of equipment. The field geologist may use only a hammer, compass/pocket transit, notebook, pencil, and map or GPS (Global Positioning System) unit.  On the other hand, geologists are the largest users of high performance computers and satellite technologies in the world.

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